The mastermind behind Hogwarts

Chapter 403 Remembering Xu Xian (Long Chapter, Please Subscribe)

Moriarty and Dumbledore resumed their conversation about Harry Potter, engaging in a heated debate.

No one knew what they talked about, but forty minutes later, the stone beast Parker at the principal's office door saw Moriarty walk out of the office with a relaxed expression, clearly in a good mood.

Moriarty hadn't expected Dumbledore to make such a big concession regarding Harry Potter.

In that case, Harry could be a very good pawn.

As for whether he can grow to a certain level, that depends on whether he is worth Moriarty's training.

Harry became useful, and so did Voldemort.

Moriarty had already devised a plan and was waiting to put it into action during the summer vacation.

With a week to go before the holidays, old Foley and old Flint had returned from the Soviet Union and sent the Simon family's treasure map to Hogwarts.

Before Moriarty could even look around, he had just stepped into the Great Hall when he was surrounded by countless young wizards.

They learned of the battle at Malfoy Manor from Dumbledore and the newspapers, but many details were not disclosed.

The young wizards' curiosity was not satisfied; they wanted to know more from Moriarty.

Looking at the students who surrounded him, excitedly chattering away, Moriarty couldn't think of a suitable way to put it.

In this respect, Dumbledore has always been quite outstanding.

Lockhart was also adept at this; he could turn black into white and bad things into good things that happened after drinking Felix Felicis.

Moriarty couldn't bring himself to deceive others, and he had no desire to communicate with anyone at the moment. He talked with Dumbledore and Polly from dawn until noon because he was too hungry.

Outside, Mrs. Malfoy was waiting for her to comfort the poor woman who had no home left.

Inside the House of Requirement, Lilith hadn't transformed back into human form, Diana and Vivian were still missing, and the Ventura family was also unknown.

These were things Moriarty was eager to do; he had neither the time nor the inclination to communicate with others.

Fortunately, Marcus and Soldaya led the Slytherin team students straight into the crowd, walked up to Moriarty, and acted as bodyguards to stop the excited young wizards.

"Minister Fudge is back with Jericho, and he's received the Order of Merlin, Third Class! Go find him!"

"Professor Lockhart is back too. I heard he's leaving Hogwarts to take up a position at the Ministry of Magic!"

Marcus shouted as he waved to shoo the students away.

As if they had received news of the world's end, the young wizards rushed off in a chaotic frenzy to find Lockhart and Jericho.

No one noticed that Moriarty had taken several lunches and quietly left.

When Moriarty returned to the Room of Requirement, the Ventura couple had already left, and Diana and Vivian had returned to Avalon.

But the room didn't feel deserted because Tonks had arrived.

There's also Hibiscus, Penelope, and Gemma.

Penelope also brought along her friend Zhang Qiu.

With Violet added to the mix, now there are six beautiful young women gathered in this small room.

And, a "beautiful snake".

Moriarty found it amusing to see Lilith curl up and crawl under the sofa, trying her best to avoid being discovered.

Lilith doesn't want anyone to know that she can shapeshift.

Moriarty didn't point it out, and smiled at each of the girls.

"The holidays are coming up soon, and I'd like to invite you to visit Slytherin Castle."

Furong cheered, "Great! I won't be going back this summer!"

Moriarty walked over and sat down beside her, laid out the lunch he had brought, and said, "Okay, but you must say hello to Mr. Delacour."

Furong smiled sweetly and said, "I told you so, we can go to many places to play during this holiday."

"Penelope, did you hear that?" Gemma teased Fleur, saying, "She's not playing with us anymore; she wants to play with Moriarty instead."

"Really," Penelope said, looking at Fleur with a "resentful" expression.

They quickly began to "attack" Furong.

Tonks sighed and said helplessly to Moriarty, "Next year is my last year at Hogwarts. If I want to remain an Auror, I'll have to go to training this holiday."

"You know, Nymph, I've always respected your choices and dreams." Moriarty grasped his senior's hand.

The warm palm gave Tonks boundless strength, easing his unhappiness at being temporarily separated from Moriarty.

Moriarty, on the other hand, was thinking that with Tonks not in the castle, he could make his move against Lady Malfoy.

Lady Malfoy no longer has a home, but Moriarty said he would take her back to Slytherin Castle after these trivial matters were over.

With Tonks gone, Moriarty and Mrs. Malfoy have it easy to do whatever they want.

Hehe ~

Sitting on the sofa, Zhang Qiu didn't seem to be enjoying herself as much as the other women.

She came to the House of Requirement because of Penelope, and Moriarty, being Penelope's friend, invited her to the castle out of politeness.

Zhang Qiu understood this very well.

But Zhang Qiu couldn't accept it; she and Moriarty had neither a close relationship nor a deep friendship.

If I rashly accept the invitation, what will I look like?

Zhang Qiu racked her brains trying to figure out a way to politely refuse Ju.

Penelope noticed this, and the understanding woman tugged at Zhang Qiu's hand, smiling at Moriarty: "For the first month of our vacation, Zhang Qiu and I will be working, so we'll have to go to the castle later."

Zhang Qiu was delighted, as this gave him some breathing room, and he could easily make excuses and let the matter pass.

Moriarty was unaware of Cho Chang's ulterior motives, and even if he had, he wouldn't have cared.

But he knew Penelope was a strong and independent girl.

You can tell from Penelope's refusal to spend her own Galleons to buy a flying broom.

"Great, you two should go to the Three Brooms Bar—Mrs. Rosmerta, the proprietress, will surely welcome two beautiful women," Moriarty suggested.

"But summer vacation is the off-season for sales, and not many children come to our store." Penelope pouted; she wanted to earn a little more.

Zhang Qiu, however, couldn't wait to say, "Okay, okay, let's go there."

As she spoke, she tugged at Penelope's hand. For Cho Chang, money was not an issue; she just wanted an excuse not to go to Slytherin Castle.

"Okay." Penelope had promised her friend, so she wouldn't go back on her word. So what if she earned a little less? She'd just spend a little less then.

Penelope's face then broke into a relieved smile as she looked at Moriarty: "Moriarty, let me ask you, when it comes to working, why did you immediately think of the Three Broomsticks bar?"

"Is it because the owner of Rosmerta is too charming?"

Penelope pretended to be sulky and pouted as she spoke.

Hibiscus, Tonks, and Gemma responded immediately:

"Yes, that's exactly why!"

"He just likes older women!"

"I've seen through him!"

Upon hearing this outrageous statement, Moriarty spat out a mouthful of fried egg.

"What? I was clearly doing this for Penelope and Cho Chang's safety, and you...you actually think of me as that kind of person? Besides, how old is Rosmerta?!"

"snort!"

The women all let out a soft snort and looked at Moriarty reproachfully.

"And you say it's big? Isn't that your type?"

"Exactly, still trying to argue! What did Mrs. Malfoy say?"

Moriarty thought for a moment, then said with a righteous expression, "Draco was kidnapped at Hogwarts, and Malfoy Manor was destroyed in my battle with the dark wizard. Shouldn't I care about that mother and child?"

"I'm doing this for Hogwarts, for the pure-bloods of England, and for the wizarding world!"

Hearing the righteous words, the women remained silent, as if they had been persuaded.

Only Lilith, who was under the sofa, let out a quiet hum.

"I knew it," Hibiscus smiled beautifully and winked at the girls, "that's what he would say."

"Yes, yes," the women nodded repeatedly, and Tonks urged, "Let's go find her quickly, she's quite pitiful."

Tonks lowered her voice as she spoke, mentioning that Mrs. Malfoy was her aunt.

Moriarty was momentarily stunned. Were they trying to push him onto Mrs. Malfoy?

Such a good thing!

They are so understanding.

Moriarty smiled contentedly, having just finished his lunch. He stood up and said, "Then I'll be going? Does anyone know where Mrs. Malfoy is?"

"She's homeless now and has to go to the Magic Revival Item Shop," Fleur pointed out.

Moriarty nodded and went outside, taking Lily with him as he left.

"When did Moriarty start keeping a snake as a pet?"

Tonks saw a snake emerge from under the sofa, then crawl up his trouser leg and into Moriarty's arms, and asked his companion in surprise.

The girls looked at each other, bewildered. "We don't know."

Moriarty walked out of the Room of Requirement and pulled Lilith out of his chest.

"Don't climb over there!" Moriarty said to the snake's head. "You'll stay wrapped around my wrist."

"Hiss! No, you'll make me dizzy walking. Let me wrap myself around your neck instead."

Lilith climbed onto Moriarty's neck and wrapped herself around it.

The strange sensation on his skin made Moriarty very uncomfortable. He said, "I'll wait until you turn back before I see anyone."

He couldn't imagine how Mrs. Malfoy would react or what she would say upon seeing the snake wrapped around his neck.

Lilith chuckled, "Hiss~ I'm so sorry to be getting in your way while you're seeing your lover."

"Ha," Moriarty led Lilith downstairs into an empty room. "You'd better think about how to turn back!"

The door slammed shut and locked.

Lilith's shapeshifting abilities cannot be detected.

"Hiss! I don't know!" Lilith said helplessly.

"Perhaps you can turn back when your magic runs out," Moriarty reminded her.

"What if I run out of magic and turn into a snake forever?"

Moriarty grinned, revealing his teeth: "Then I'll throw you into the Forbidden Forest and let you return to nature."

"Ouch!" Lilith bit Moriarty's neck. "You big bad guy! I'll bite you to death!"

She didn't actually bite; she only left a shallow tooth mark.

Moriarty took Lilith down and placed her on the ground. Lilith asked, "You knew all along that you'd revert to your original form when your magic ran out, didn't you?"

"Yes, I've maintained contact with the old wizards in the field of transformation, and I know you've obtained a manuscript concept from one of them," Moriarty said calmly.

"I also know that you have been perfecting the human body transformation technique—you first completed the hand transformation, then the Japanese Kuchisake-onna inspired you to perfect the facial transformation, leaving only the transformation of the lower body."

Moriarty's words warmed Lilith's heart, and her snake eyes blurred with tears—he had known all along.

At that moment, Lilith felt that her transformation was worthwhile.

"I just didn't expect that you could choose to completely transform without perfecting it—if it doesn't work, your best-case scenario is becoming a monster with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a snake."

Moriarty's tone wavered slightly, and his gaze toward Lilith shifted.

Among those who offered support: Polly possessed the Divine Symbol, Dumbledore was a legendary wizard, and Diana herself was powerful.

Lilith had nothing; she was just an ordinary student.

If I had to describe her, I would say she's an ordinary female student with ambition.

She, being the most ordinary person, chose a dangerous magic, just to get to Moriarty's aid as quickly as possible.

However, she overlooked the risks to herself.

"The worst-case scenario for you is that you turn into a snake and forget everything from your past."

"And that doesn't even include the fact that you were killed by Ye Jingyu, turned into a piece of flesh, and thrown into the blood feast..."

"No!" Lilith suddenly screamed and leaped into Moriarty's arms.

"I will not forget everything that happened, and I will not die!"

Lilith's eyes were filled with Moriarty, shining brightly: "Until I achieve that goal, I will only become stronger!"

These words seemed to drain all of Lilith's strength, and she collapsed into Moriarty's arms, unconscious.

Her magic was exhausted.

Moriarty stood motionless, Lilith's words and actions echoing in his mind...

If Lilith were a man, she would be his most terrifying enemy!

Suddenly, Moriarty felt his hands become heavier.

He looked down and his pupils dilated instantly.

Lilith is transforming back into human form.

A white snake was writhing in Moriarty's arms, gradually revealing a white, naked body.

As we all know, snakes don't wear clothes.

The snake turned back into a human...

In an instant, Moriarty thought of Xu Xian.

The feel is gradually getting hot.

Should we follow suit?

(End of this chapter)